Cookbooks To Savor

Nigella Lawson: FeastWhat cooking, especially for family and loved-ones is all about.

Cecilia Hae-Jin Lee: Eating KoreanI would place this cookbook in my top 10 of all time. The recipes are delicious and each section is packed with the best of Korean home cooking. The stories are wonderful, too. Highly recommend.

Irma S. Rombauer: The Joy of Cooking (not the "All New", the old school one) I don't so much like this for main dish and salad recipes as for baked goods, sauces, and jams. I have my mother's copy, and when I was about 12, my favorite thing to do was to make tea sandwiches from this cookbook. Every weekend I'd make a couple of different kinds until I worked my way through all the spreads and fillings. A good basic cookbook.

COPYRIGHT

My favorite way to cook fish is to sear it in a hot cast iron skillet and then finish it off in the oven. This way, the fish is nicely cooked on the outside but still moist on the inside. And cooking this way is really a no-brainer as long as you have a timer.

I prefer this cooking method over straight broiling because I can't ever seem to control the broiler. When I use it, whatever I'm cooking always turns out blackened and dry. I do use the broiler to finish off things like fritattas or to melt cheese over something, but I rarely broil as a cooking method on its on.

Here's what to do:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Preheat your dry cast iron pan over medium heat. Cast iron conducts heat so evenly and so well that I rarely turn the heat up under my pan above medium/medium-high.

Season your fish. I used a pound of wild salmon (about an inch thick) and rubbed it with sea salt, pepper, and dill.

When you are ready to cook the fish, a drop of water should sizzle and almost instantly disappear off the surface of the pan. Drizzle some oil in the pan and place fish skin-side-down. Leave to sear undisturbed for 5 full minutes. Then, carefully put the entire cast iron pan in your pre-heated oven and cook a further 5 minutes.

At this point, if you like your salmon slightly rare in the center, it should be done. To cook it a little more well-done, leave in the oven a further minute or so. Remember that it will continue to cook when you remove it from the oven because the cast iron will be HOT.

I served this with a simple green herb sauce. I like the way that lime is a counterpoint to the grassy-floral flavor of the basil. Use the processor attachment that comes with your stick blender.

HERB SAUCE FOR FISH

Place the following in the processor and whiz until a rough puree is formed. Spoon over fish.

8-10 basil leaves

1 green onion stalk, chopped

1 small clove garlic

juice of 1 key lime (or half a regular lime)

a pinch of sea salt

1 good glug of olive oil

Salmon is a very kid-friendly fish. It can be very easily flaked for the little ones or left in larger pieces for toddlers. As you can see, Wallie, my 9 month old ate it (along with some mashed potatoes and broccoli), too.

I followed the recipe pretty much to a T. I think next time I might use stock instead of water, but other than that, it was really flavorful and tasty. At first the soup seems more appropriate for fall, but the sweetness of the fresh corn really makes it more of a summer soup (for a not-too-hot day).

I served it with plenty of habañero hot sauce and topped it with shredded cheddar and pepper jack cheese. I thought it was wonderful that way.

The recipe made so much that I was able to freeze half of it for another time. Can't get more family friendly that that.

If you are tired of your fresh herbs turning to mush in your fridge drawers, give them the "flower" treatment.

Place your herbs (especially delicate herbs like basil, tarragon, or cilantro) in a glass of water, cover them loosely with a plastic bag, and place in the fridge. If the herbs are really fresh (farmer's market fresh) they will keep this way for week and possibly up to 10 days. Just be sure to change the water every 3 or 4 days.

I think a lot of people are afraid to use fresh herbs because they think they will spoil before they can be used up, but this way, you have up to 10 days to use them. Hopefully this makes the thought of buying and using fresh herbs a little less intimidating.

Last Father's Day was a bust, so we had a do-over today. We started the day with "Bullseye Eggs," J.'s favorite breakfast. For the eggs, I cut the center out of slices of bread with a heart-shaped cookie cutter (awwww), put them into a pan, cracked an egg into the hole and fried the egg-bread combo over-easy. The heart cut-outs are also buttered and fried until toasty and then you dip the hearts into the warm egg yolk. Heavenly.

We spent the day getting our backyard ready for summer, then ended the day by meeting some friends at the park for some pre-dinner playing.

For dinner, I made J.'s favorite hot weather meal—Taco Salad.

There are as many recipes for this salad as there are people who make it, but I think my version is fresh and tasty without losing any of its trashy goodness. This dish is not supposed to be gor-may. We are crunching up corn chips into our salad, after all.

TACO SALAD

You can make this easy on yourself by using bag salad, I did. Ingredients can be prepped ahead of time (I did all the prep during nap), but do not combine until you are ready to serve

about a cup of your favorite chunky salsa combined with about a cup of your favorite vinaigrette, homemade or not (you may have a little leftover)

sour cream (optional)

key limes or limoncitos, cut into wedges for garnish

First, combine beans with some ground cumin, set aside to combine flavors for a few minutes.

To assemble the salad, grab the biggest bowl you have. Place all ingredients into the bowl EXCEPT the chips, salsa dressing, sour cream, and limes. Toss well. Add about half the dressing and toss. Taste and if it needs more, add more. Grab a handful of chips and LIGHTLY crush the chips into the salad. Toss. Repeat with more chips.

This recipe is inspired by the famous Nigella Lawson Watermelon-Feta-Black Olive Salad (the one that was everywhere last summer) and the Watermelon-Cucumber salad in the July/August 2005 issue of Everyday Food magazine. To me—it's what summer tastes like.

WATERMELON, CUCUMBER, AND BRINZA SALAD WITH LIME

Brinza, a cheese similar in taste and texture to feta, can be found at any Russian market. You can use imported Bulgarian brinza which is sharp and salty, or domestic Odesskaya brinza which is milder. Or, you can just use feta.

Make sure that the watermelon, cucumber, and cheese and well-chilled before you prepare this, and serve it right away.

There's not much about San Francisco that I really miss, but one thing I wish they had here in Portland was a Russian market equal to New World Market in San Francisco. The deli case is amazing. There are piles and piles os sausages and salumi. There are tons of samples and usually someone behind the counter is ready to hand you a hunk of just-cooked sausage off the tip of a knife.

The cold salads and spreads look so appetizing and you can taste everything to help you narrow down what to buy. Not even the most well-stocked Italian delis in S.F. pale in comparison to the one at New World Market.

On my way to dim sum a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a sign on 82nd St. here in Portland. (82nd Street boasts lots of ethnic grocers and restaurants.) The sign was in Cyrillic and there was an arrow and I think I recognized the word "market." So today, Bunny and I went to check it out. It is a market and it's called Ril's European Market and it is in a new strip mall about a half mile south of Stark.

It doesn't have the selection of New World, but it is just fine. The deli case is small, but everything looked fresh and appetizing. The don't have hot foods ready-made (I miss New World's stuffed cabbage), but they do carry the nose-clearing Russian mustard that I love, as well as things like pomegranate molasses, pelmeni, and fresh-baked Napoleon cake.

I encourage you to seek out the Russian markets near you. Russian delis are often cheaper than their Italian and French counterparts. There are interesting things to see (like beautifully wrapped candies of all types), and you are encouraged to try everything before you buy it. We are not used to that way of shopping here in the U.S., but I think it is a smart way to shop. Why not know that you like something before you spend the money? I tried about 6 types of salami today before I chose the 2 that I liked best. And I tried two types of Brinza cheese (which I had never had before) and they were equally delicious so I bought them both. The guy behind the counter told me to serve it with watermelon and I will.

Bunny and I sampled everything and came home with a nice selection of cold-cuts and cheese for our dinner tonight:

Dinner this way is easy, simple, and most of all, tasty. And best of all, there is only one dish to clean. Dinner doesn't have to be hot!

Trim stems of artichokes so that they will stand up straight in a
pot. Remove bottom, outer 2-3 layers of leaves (they are tough) and cut off the tops. Then cut
thorns off each remaining leaf with scissors. When you are done, they should look like this. (These are Fiesole artichokes):

Rub each 'choke with a cut lemon, then with a cut clove of garlic.
Salt liberally. (You can also sprinkle some Herbes de Provence over
them.) Drizzle them with olive oil.

Place in pan of water so that water comes 1/3 of the way up the
side of the 'choke. To the water add: some whole peppercorns, some
lemon slices, and some garlic slices.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. Cover tightly. Depending
on size, they should be cooked in 30-45 minutes. (Smaller ones cook faster.) When a leaf from the center pulls off
easily, they're done.

Serve hot with dipping sauce of your choice (we are a lemon-mayo
family, melted butter is good, too) and they are also delicious cold.

My friend Cafemama gave birth to her second boy a little over a month ago. When we were first moving to Portland, I lurked on her blog(s) and then finally introduced myself by way of email when we moved. We are just starting to get to know each other—it's hard to get together when we both have kids (and now she has a newborn)—but we try. And she is surprisingly mobile for just having had a baby...she talks of jogging and berry picking and...I think I was catatonic for six months after having Wallie. She is, in a word, amazing.

And because we really think she's groovy and because she just had a baby and just because...we are taking her this lunch today. (Along with cake. Nursing mamas need cake.)

PASTA WITH LEMONY TUNA SAUCE

If you have a microplane grater, it will come in handy to grate the lemon zest. Try not to refrigerate this pasta. It's better when left to hang at room temperature.

capers (pref. the ones packed in salt, rinsed and dried; or brined), about a teaspoon

a handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, chopped

1 6 oz can or jar of high quality solid Italian tuna in olive oil like Callipo, Flott, or Genova (I prefer the first two for price and qulity)

1/4 to 1/2 of a finely chopped onion (or omit completely)

salt and pepper

olive oil

When pasta is cooked to al dente, drain it and place it back into the cooking pot. Immediately dump in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and capers. Toss the pasta well. Next add a glug or two of olive oil, mix it again, and then just let it hang out.

Open tuna and dump into a bowl, oil and all. Take reserved, squeezed lemon half and squeeeeze several more drops of juice out of it directly onto the tuna. (Now you can throw it away!) Lightly flake tuna with a fork. Add in a little more olive oil (one glug) and then put that—along with the chopped onion—onto the cooling pasta. Adjust salt and pepper. Stir well.

It can remain like this for a good 2-3 hours, just mix it every so often. When you are ready to serve it, transfer the pasta into a serving bowl (if you want.) Add the parsley (and maybe another drizzle of olive oil) at the last moment.

Wallie takes two naps a day which kinda cramps our style a little. I feel bad for Bunny because it really throws a wrench into our morning. We now have to stay home whereas before, we were always out of the house until her afternoon nap. On the upside, Wallie's naptime is our time to spend together. We usually spend the time doing some kind of art project or cooking. Today she helped me make lunch for our playdate buddies.

The next couple of posts will probably be about summertime pastas since I have a couple of potlucks to cook for over the next day or so. In our family, we don't eat pasta salads so much as pastas made with uncooked sauces that are meant to be served at room temperature.

In general, I am not a fan of the Americanized pasta salad which is usually some sort of pasta which has been rinsed with cold water (please—never do this*) and tossed with salad dressing. I just don't like my pasta to have a vinegary taste.

Try this pasta and you will never do the above again. And let your toddler help you with it. Here is Bunny stemming the tomatoes and putting tomatoes into the CuisinArt and "chopping onions."

PENNE CON SALSA CRUDA (Penne with Raw Sauce)

If you like bold flavors, this is for you. You probably won't use all the sauce on the pasta but that's okay. It's great as a bread dip, too.

Put the pasta water on to boil and salt it generously.

a pint of grape tomatoes washed and stemmed

a red bell pepper, chopped

half a sweet onion (Vidalia, Walla Walla, Texas Sweet, etc.)

1-3 cloves of garlic

a handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only

8-10 fresh basil leaves

olive oil

salt and pepper

pecorino romano cheese for serving

Place veggies and herbs into the bowl of a food processor. Add a six-count pour of olive oil along with salt and pepper.

Turn processor and and whiz everything into a loose, pesto-like consistency (see below) and set aside:

When pasta is ready, drain it well, and then toss with the sauce. (Go easy on the sauce as you will likely have a cup or so left over.) Add several generous handfuls of pecorino romano cheese and serve immediately or at room temperature.

It cools the pasta off—even if you are rinsing it with hot water to serve it hot. Just leave the pasta alone. However, if you want the pasta to cool without sticking (if you are making a cold pasta, for example) just toss it with a teeny bit of olive oil and spread it out on a baking pan or two. ...not too much olive oil or your sauce won't stick nicely to the pasta.

One of the reasons we bought our house was that the kitchen was so pathetic that we wouldn't feel bad about ripping it to shreds and starting over. It sucks so much ass that I can't believe y'all can't hear me swearing while I cook.

I spend so much time in the kitchen that I have lots of time to plan my dream workspace. And if money was no object, this is what I would have in it:

a bank of 4 or 6 refrigerated drawers. No upright fridge at all. Just the drawers. And a chest freezer in the basement for frozen items. I am a drawer freak as you will see.

Cooking Gear To Spice Things Up

All-Clad cookwareI use the stainless line. I love it because you can put it in the dishwasher. If you like to cook it is sooo worth it to have quality pots and pans. I recommend buying a set on sale and then filling in extras as you need them. (Watch for sales and specials.)

Cast Iron SkilletPlease get rid of all your teflon-coated non-stick plans and get a cast iron skillet. I use mine for searing meat, poultry, and fish and then finishing off in the oven. In fact, get two cast iron skillets—one large enough to hold two ribeyes and a smaller, fried-egg-sized one for making...well...eggs.

Food ProcessorQuickly slice/shred veggies and cheese, make hummus or other spreads in a snap, and make pie crust without making a mess.

Global KnivesI am partial to the 18 incher. Yep, I like big knives and I cannot lie. If you like to cook (or even if you don't) you deserve to have good knives. At least one.

Instant Hot Water DispenserIf you can't afford to have one built-in, this is a great alternative. It's nice to have boiling water at the push of a button to make tea, instant miso soup, or morning oatmeal for the kidlets.

Microplane Grater/ZesterUse this to grate citrus zest, nutmeg, and cheese. You could get a coarser one, but you don't need to. I have one and I use it for everything.

SilpatSilpat is a silicone mat used for baking. They come in various sizes. Items will not stick to it. It is a must for any home baker.

Stick or Immersion BlenderIt doesn't have to be fancy, but try and get the highest HP you can afford. I use my stick blender (+ attachments) for making salad dressing (weekly), pureeing soups, making babyfood, and whipping cream.